‘Frankenstein’ Director Recalls the Moment He Chose Jacob Elordi for the Monster

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Guillermo del Toro’s new movie, Frankenstein, is now available on Netflix, and it’s been highly anticipated all year. This isn’t just a retelling of Mary Shelley’s classic story about the dangers of playing God; it truly feels like a Guillermo del Toro film through and through. The visuals and set design are stunning, and the actors deliver excellent performances. While Oscar Isaac is great as the scientist, Jacob Elordi really shines as the monster.

The acclaimed director has been working on this film for years, envisioning it in his head, and it’s now been released. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Isaac, Elordi, and del Toro discussed how they made the Frankenstein story a reality, and the director explained the specific moment he realized Elordi was perfect for the role of the Creature.

I immediately texted Oscar after my first Zoom call with Jacob, letting him know we’d found the right person. It’s not about how versatile someone is, but about finding the perfect fit – when an actor embodies the essence of a character, or vice versa, it just clicks. From there, you simply refine their performance and let them shine. The result will be fantastic.

Jacob Elordi, known for his roles in popular projects like The Kissing Booth, Euphoria, Deep Water, Priscilla, and Saltburn, is usually seen as a conventionally handsome leading man. But playing the role of Frankenstein’s creation was a surprisingly welcome change – he enjoyed being unrecognizable on screen.

I really enjoy the film. It’s great because it lets me connect with the emotions on screen without focusing on myself. If I were watching myself act, I’d probably be too self-conscious to truly enjoy it. But I do recognize parts of my own personality in the character, especially the more private sides.

Finding the Creature’s Unique Voice


Netflix

Elordi gives a truly impressive performance as the monster, following in the footsteps of actors like Boris Karloff, Christopher Lee, Fred Gwynne, Peter Boyle, and Robert De Niro. His physical presence and, importantly, his voice are key to the role. He explained how he developed this distinctive vocal quality:

During filming, Guillermo would often review the footage overnight and then tell me the next morning that we needed to add a specific gritty texture to the sound – like gravel – because the creature’s voice was still evolving alongside its on-screen development. Luckily, I was able to film most of it in order, which allowed me to shape the voice organically as I performed. I had a lot of early discussions with Gerry [pointing to Oscar], and we practiced a guttural, chanting sound that we then refined as the character took shape.

The sound started as a Tibetan throat chant, but it transformed based on the character’s physical state and how he was experiencing the scene. It wasn’t just about making a guttural noise; it needed to be nuanced and meaningful. The voice ultimately came from a combination of his wounds, memories, and past lives – it had to sound like a life fully lived, built from every detail of his being.

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2025-11-10 01:30